There's nothing quite like the chaos of the NEPSAC boys hockey quarterfinals. That was the case on Wednesday.
There were upsets and close games, although all three of the No. 1 seeds in the Elite 8, Large School and Small School Tournaments moved on.
Somehow, no overtimes were needed, a deviation from last season.
Here are the complete results from all three tournaments.
Elite 8Â
- No. 1 Deerfield 4, No. 8 Nobles 1
- No. 7 Rivers 5, No. 2 St. Mark’s 3
- No. 3 Dexter Southfield 3, No. 6 Salisbury 2
- No. 4 Cushing 6, No. 5 Brunswick 3
Large SchoolÂ
- No. 1 Belmont Hill 5, No. 8 Kent 3
- No. 2 Avon Old Farms 5, No. 7 Thayer 3
- No. 3 Phillips Andover 6, No. 6 Trinity-Pawling 0
- No. 5 Westminster 6, No. 4 Governor’s Academy 4
Small SchoolÂ
- No. 1 Kimball Union 8, No. 8 Frederick Gunn 1
- No. 2 Berkshire 3, No. 7 Groton 0
- No. 3 Holderness 6, No. 6 Pomfret 1
- No. 5 St. George’s 5, No. 4 Tilton 3
I only watched the four Elite 8 games. Watching four games at once is where I draw the line for my sanity. This story will mainly be Elite 8 takeaways, but I sprinkled in some overarching thoughts about the Large and Small School Tournaments at the end.
Let's dive in.
No. 1 Deerfield 4, No. 8 Nobles 1
1. This game will be remembered as essentially coming down to Nobles forward Billy MacAusland vs. Deerfield goalie Elliot Lennon. The high-scoring junior hustled to try and beat two defenders, but was hauled down and given a penalty shot with just under five minutes remaining. The Westwood, Mass., native went in on Lennon as the Deerfield student section taunted him. He thought he had open space low on Lennon, but the Deerfield goalie stayed poised and made his biggest save of the game, keeping his team in the lead.
2. Nobles fans will also remember this game for what looked like an Ethan Cox goal early in the second period. Cox took a shot on Lennon, it was stopped and the Nobles forward wrapped it around, but Lennon knocked the net off. The puck went in, however the referees deemed it no goal. That would've made it 1-1 and considering the game was 2-1 Deerfield in the final minutes, it would've been a whole different game had that counted.
3. Deerfield junior defenseman Nate Watson had an outstanding game. He scored the eventual game-winning goal when he got open off the rush and one-timed a pass from senior forward Drew Keiver past Nobles goalie Justin Lee to make it 2-0. Watson rushed pucks with confidence, and he was physical throughout the game.
FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENTS: Elite 8 | Large School | Small School
4. Keiver's vision was outstanding. His pass to Watson for the goal was impressive, as it looked like he had a clear shot on net but he noticed the defenseman ready for the one timer off to the side. He also set up senior Justin Tavares for what looked like a sure goal on a 3-on-1, but was stuffed.
5. An unsung hero in this game was postgrad Cam Umlah (Rye, N.H.). The former St. John's Prep standout was vital late in the third period. His hustle while killing a penalty led to Nobles tripping him, taking a penalty and making it 4-on-4. He had a high compete when breaking up Nobles' breakouts and was rewarded with an empty-netter to make it 4-1.
No. 7 Rivers 5, No. 2 St. Mark's 3
1. While St. Mark's got to within one goal of tying the game a handful of times, Rivers was always in command. The Red Wings played their speedy, skilled game and made life difficult on St. Mark's forwards. They didn't let the Lions get to the slot often and took away their time and space.
2. Rivers held on late in large part to junior goalie Derrick Huang (Carlisle, Mass.), who was outstanding. His biggest save came with 3:39 to play in the game. St. Mark's sophomore forward Caiden Pellegrino (Uxbridge, Mass.) hit junior forward Evan Nee (Arlington, Mass.) with a cross-zone pass. Nee looked to have an open side of the net to one-time the puck into, but Huang got across and made a spectacular save. Huang also made stout stops on junior defenseman Moussa Seydi and sophomore forward Will Manchuso (Stow, Mass.) late in the game.
3. Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) was dominant. He scored off a phenomenal pass by freshman forward Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) late in the first period. But Meyer's best play came when he got the puck in the neutral zone, turned on the jets to zip past (and dangle) a defender and hit freshman forward Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) at the far post for the goal. Meyer made it look like he was playing in a video game. That put Rivers up, 4-2, halfway through the third and made St. Mark's have to overcome an even bigger deficit. Meyer and Sears finished with two points each, while Pandolfo ended with one.
4. It was a game to remember for senior forward Will Irving (Holliston, Mass.). Playing alongside senior Will Hatten (Wayland, Mass.) and junior Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.), Irving potted two goals. The first came from tipping in a shot by Hatten midway through the second period, making it 2-0 Rivers. The second was on a power play early in the third period when he jammed in a loose puck. He almost had a hat trick late in the game with St. Mark's goalie Justin BriseBois heading to the bench, but he missed wide.
No. 3 Dexter Southfield 3, No. 6 Salisbury 2
1. I had my doubts about Dexter with its play of late. When they were down 2-0 entering the third period, it looked like that bad play was seeping back in. But leave it to Dexter junior forward and Boston University commit Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) to score 43 seconds into the third period, giving Dexter life and momentum to build a comeback off of. To score three and come back against Salisbury in the third period of an Elite 8 game is as impressive as it gets. It all started with Chudzinski.
GIRLS PREP PLAYOFFS: Elite 8 bracket | Large School bracket | Small School bracket
2. I've seen Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.) play many games over the last two years. Wednesday may have been my best viewing of him. Brosnan opened the game with a thunderous, open-ice hit off the opening draw. He opened the third period by getting the puck in the neutral zone, sifting through Salisbury's defense, getting behind the Crimson Knights' net and hitting Chudzinski in front for the goal. With 4:38 left in the game, he threw a shot on net that went in, tying the game, 2-2. He even assisted on senior forward Sean Leetch's (Boston, Mass.) winner when he carried the puck around the zone and brought it behind the net.
3. Despite the loss, Salisbury senior forward and Northeastern commit Connor Davis had a terrific game. He assisted on Oliver Morris' goal when he carried the puck around the zone and threw a shot on net. Davis scored not long after when he forced a Dexter turnover, dangled a defenseman and scored. It was a good night for Davis, but it was a bad night for the Salisbury offense.
4. Dexter Southfield junior goalie Colin Davis (Canton, Mass.) was phenomenal. His best came at the end of the game when he lunged across to rob a Connor Davis one-timer that looked destined for the back of the net. Colin Davis reached across and got it with his blocker. That was with roughly eight seconds left. With four seconds left, Salisbury got two chances off an offensive zone face-off and Davis stopped them both from in tight. The junior made 34 saves and looked like a goalie who could carry his team to another championship berth.
No. 4 Cushing 6, No. 5 Brunswick 3
1. Cushing junior defenseman and Michigan State commit Tommy Bleyl was outstanding. He scored the Penguins' first goal on a great play low in the offensive zone. He facilitated Cushing's second goal, which was scored by junior forward Axel Favreau (Auburn, Maine), when he took it around the offensive zone, behind the net and threw it to the middle for Favreau to finish. On breakouts, Bleyl was able to escape his own zone with ease, avoiding pressure with his edgework and awareness.
MVP CANDIDATES: 22 candidates to win MVP in the Elite 8
2. The Penguins won the game on depth. They had six different goal-scorers. Along with Bleyl and Favreau, head coach Ryan Bourque's team got goals from senior forward Max Dineen (Brentwood, N.H.), senior defenseman Kristopher Richards, senior forward Alex Gomes (Ludlow, Mass.) and junior forward Parker Murch (York, Maine). If Cushing is to beat Deerfield, get to the final and win, it will need that depth above all else.
3. Richards had a rough giveaway that led to a Brunswick goal in the first period. But the St. Lawrence commit more than made up for it with the rest of his game. He joined the rush and scored to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead entering the second period. He followed that up with a stout, shutdown game where he was physical and blocked shots.
4. The first period featured both teams trading goals. That was in large part due to Brunswick junior forward and Harvard commit Joe Salandra. Early in the period, he passed the puck in front to junior forward Ben Lombardi (Cos Cob, Conn.) for a goal. A few minutes later, Salandra wired one of his trademark snipes from the top of the circle on the power play to give his team a 2-1 lead. Salandra finished his season with 72 points, which is one heck of a season.
5. Brunswick freshman defenseman Cam Minella (Darien, Conn.) also had a great game. The '09 showcased so much poise with the puck and finished with two assists. He rushed it when necessary and slowed the game down in a way most players his age can't do. He finished the season with seven goals and 37 points in 34 games.
6. While the score was 6-3, Cushing junior goalie Maksim Corovic had a good game, especially late in the second period when Brunswick turned up the pressure and got a few high-danger chances.
Large School Tournament thoughts...
1. What a night for junior defenseman and Dartmouth commit Evan Jones. The Arlington, Mass., native scored twice and tallied two assists in Belmont Hill's 5-3 win over Kent. He's tied with Holderness senior Jeremy Poirier (Salem, N.H.) for points by a defenseman with 40.
2. In Indiana Grossbard's (Darien, Conn.) first taste of playoff hockey with Avon, he made the most of it. The Dartmouth commit posted a hat trick and added an assist in Avon's 5-3 win over Thayer. Senior forward and Providence College commit Cooper Snee also had a great night with a goal and two helpers.
3. Boy was I wrong about Phillips Andover. Andover exploded to beat Trinity-Pawling, 6-0, and got two goals from senior forward Dartmouth commit (sensing a trend here?) Grayden Robertson-Palmer. I'd imagine several NHL scouts will be watching him on Saturday. Senior forward Peyton Militello and sophomore forward Alex Theodore both had a goal and an assist.
4. A 6-4 final was shocking for Westminster's win over Governor's Academy. I expected a low-scoring matchup with junior Jack Fichthorn (Darien, Conn.) in net for the Martlets and senior Zach Ericson (Yarmouth, Maine) for Governor's Academy.
ROUTE TO A TITLE: The path for every Large School team | The path for every Small School team
Small School Tournament thoughts...
1. That's a dominant win from Kimball Union, as the Wildcats won, 8-1. Senior forwards Iain Olsen (Vergennes, Vt.), CJ Watroba (West Springfield, Mass.), Max Kimelman and Corwith Simmers had two goals each. If head coach Tim Whitehead's leaders keep playing like that...oh boy.
2. I'll pat myself on the back for predicting the exact result of Berkshire's 3-0 win over Groton. Senior forward Evan Regan (Acton, Mass.) notched two goals and added an assist, bringing his season point total to 38. Berkshire has a big test in front of it with Holderness on Saturday.
3. Like with Kimball Union, that's a dominant win for Holderness, as the Bulls beat Pomfret, 6-1. Senior forwards Jacob Duval (Andover, Mass.) and Luke Pazzia (Burlington, Mass.) each had three points, while senior defenseman Gabriel Ruiz and senior forward Brayden Wade both had two.
4. A big first period propelled St. George's to a 5-3 win over Tilton. Junior forward Max Donatelli (Barrington, R.I.) scored once and assisted on two other goals, bringing him to 101 career points at St. George's and his second-straight season with 40. Head coach Allie Skelley's team also got vital scoring from senior forwards Danny Buckley (Warwick, R.I.) and Owen Mulhern (Middletown, R.I.), junior forward Aiden Ferreira (Warwick, R.I.), and freshman defenseman Jake Donatelli (Barrington, R.I.). Props to junior goalie Dash George who made 48 saves. He must've read my predictions.
